The Rev. Henri J. Nouwen
When
suddenly you seem to lose all you thought you had gained, do not despair. You
must expect setbacks and regressions. Don't say to yourself "All is lost.
I have to start all over again." This is not true. What you have gained
you have gained....When you return to the road, you return to the place where
you left it, not to where you started.
~
Henri Nouwen 1932-1996*
We all have or will have or know people who have those moments in life ~ the loss of someone integral to one's everyday life, a job loss,
significant health challenges, or whatever causes one to fall
into hopelessness. There is a time and a need to grieve these losses and
be surrounded by those who care for us and who give us hope. We need to take
the time it takes yet not grieve for the sake of grief. Seeking the help we need when we realize that we have fallen into despair is important and necessary and not a sign of weakness. Life is
precious and short; we must live for those who loved us and now cannot. We can back
to the road of this life even if we are limping and bruised. The sun will
shine again when we let it.
Dear God of my wounded heart,
You know the times when it was all I could do to open my eyes and face another day and when I longed to hide myself in the black of night that matched the darkness of my grief. Give me the eyes to see when another is in the merciless grip of pain and sorrow and let me be a quiet comforting presence of hope. For today I will give up living in the shadow of yesterday and take on living in the light of today. I pray for the peace to walk down my road, give encouragement to others, and live my life giving thanks for each breath I am given, and in thanksgiving for those no longer here who would want my heart to smile again and often. amen.
Dear God of my wounded heart,
You know the times when it was all I could do to open my eyes and face another day and when I longed to hide myself in the black of night that matched the darkness of my grief. Give me the eyes to see when another is in the merciless grip of pain and sorrow and let me be a quiet comforting presence of hope. For today I will give up living in the shadow of yesterday and take on living in the light of today. I pray for the peace to walk down my road, give encouragement to others, and live my life giving thanks for each breath I am given, and in thanksgiving for those no longer here who would want my heart to smile again and often. amen.
*A Dutch-born Catholic
Priest with a doctorate in Psychology, Henri Nouwen was a prolific writer on
the subject of spirituality. He wrestled with clinical depression throughout
his life and it informed his abilities for his writing, teaching, and pastoral
care. After teaching appointments with The Menninger Clinic, University of
Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School, he accepted the
position of Pastor for a L'Arche Community for the developmentally disabled
near Toronto, Canada. His books such as Wounded
Healer, The
Way of the Heart, and The
Return of the Prodigal Son remain widely read and deeply held
by people of all faith expressions.
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